biology

Generation R

Generation R is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Generation R rather than just read about it. In short: Generation R is a prospective, population based cohort study from fetal life until young adulthood in a multi-ethnic urban population in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study is designed to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development and health.

Key takeaways

Generation R belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Generation R to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Generation R from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Generation R is a prospective, population based cohort study from fetal life until young adulthood in a multi-ethnic urban population in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study is designed to identify early environmental and genetic causes of normal and abnormal growth, development and health. Eventually, results forthcoming from the Generation R Study have to contribute to the development of strategies for optimizing health and healthcare for pregnant women and children. The study focuses on five primary areas of research:

Growth and physical development Behavioral and cognitive development Asthma and atopy Diseases in childhood Health and healthcare

Study cohort The children form a prenatally recruited birth cohort that will be followed until young adulthood. In total, 9778 mothers with a delivery date from April 2002 until January 2006 were enrolled in the study. Of all eligible children at birth, 61% participate in the study. A large part of this study cohort consists of ethnic minorities.

Data collection Data collection in the prenatal phase included physical examinations, questionnaires, foetal ultrasound examinations and biological samples. In addition, more detailed assessments are conducted in a subgroup of 1232 pregnant women and their children. At the age of 5 years, all children were invited to visit the Generation R research centre for detailed assessments. This was repeated at the age of 9 years.

Publications A list of publications from the Generation R study.

References

Further reading Jaddoe, V.W.; van Duijn, CM.; van der Heijden, AJ.; Mackenbach, JP.; Moll, HA.; Steegers, EA.; Tiemeier, H.; Uitterlinden, AG.; Verhulst, FC.; Hofman, A. (22 October 2010). "The Generation R Study: design and cohort update 2010". European Journal of Epidemiology. 25 (11): 823–841. doi:10.1007/s10654-010-9516-7. PMC 2991548. PMID 20967563. Jaddoe, V.W.; van Duijn, CM.; van der Heijden, AJ.; Mackenbach, JP.; Moll, HA.; Steegers, EA.; Tiemeier, H.; Uitterlinden, AG.; Verhulst, FC.; Hofman, A. (20 December 2008). "The Generation R Study: design and cohort update until the age of 4 years". European Journal of Epidemiology. 23 (12): 801–811. doi:10.1007/s10654-008-9309-4. PMID 19101808. S2CID 13000610. Jaddoe, V.W.; Bakker, R.; van Duijn, CM.; van der Heijden, AJ.; Lindemans, J.; Mackenbach, JP.; Moll, HA.; Steegers, EA.; Tiemeier, H.; Uitterlinden, AG.; Verhulst, FC.; Hofman, A. (19 December 2007). "The Generation R Study Biobank: a resource for epidemiological studies in children and their parents". European Journal of Epidemiology. 22 (12): 917–923. doi:10.1007/s10654-007-9209-z. PMC 2190786. PMID 18095172. Jaddoe, V.W.; Mackenbach, JP.; Moll, HA.; Steegers, EA.; Tiemeier, H.; Verhulst, FC.; Witteman, JC.; Hofman A. (7 July 2006). "The Generation R Study: Design and cohort profile". European Journal of Epidemiology. 21 (6): 475–484. doi:10.1007/s10654-006-9022-0. PMID 16826450. S2CID 7874868. Hofman, A.; Jaddoe, VW.; Mackenbach, JP.; Moll, HA.; Snijders, RF.; Steegers, EA.; Verhulst, FC.; Witteman, JC.; Büller, HA. (January 2004). "Growth, development and health from early fetal life until young adulthood: the Generation R Study". Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 18 (1): 61–72. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.2003.00521.x. PMID 14738548.

External links https://www.generationr.nl/ Website of the study

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Generation R

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Generation R claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Generation R before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Generation R ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Generation R

In research: Generation R appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Generation R in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Generation R is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Medical statistics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Generation R outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Generation R in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Generation R means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Generation R out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Generation R in simple terms?

Why does Generation R matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Generation R?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Generation R.